In the late summer of 2022, the life of a vibrant New Orleans teenager was tragically cut short just two days after she celebrated a milestone. Haven Lodge, a 17-year-old female, had just turned seventeen and was excitedly beginning her senior year at The Net Charter High School with aspirations of one day becoming a pharmacist. Described by her family as a 'girly girl' who loved fashion and shopping, she was looking forward to all the rites of passage that her final year of high school would
bring, including prom.
On the night of Saturday, August 27, 2022, Haven attended a party with friends near the Milne Recreation Center in the 5300 block of Franklin Avenue. As she was leaving the gathering, an altercation broke out among others, and gunfire erupted. In the chaos that ensued, Haven was struck by a stray bullet. Emergency services found her on the sidewalk and rushed her to a nearby hospital, but her injuries proved to be fatal.
The sudden and senseless loss of Haven Lodge devastated her family and the community. Her loved ones remembered a bright and ambitious young woman who was the youngest of three siblings. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, her family made public pleas for anyone with information to come forward to help bring her killer to justice. At the time of the initial investigation, the New Orleans Police Department had not identified any suspects and no arrests had been made in connection with her death. The family held a candlelight memorial, asking attendees to bring pink and white balloons to honor the memory of the young woman whose life was so violently and prematurely ended.
